Contact Us For More Information

Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy can be provided in your home by VNA’s certified staff.

We offer a wide array of solutions to your therapy needs, whether they be physical, occupational or speech and language-related. Our experienced team of therapists, who are specifically trained in home health care, understand the value of a collaborative approach. That’s why we all work together, no matter our specific area of focus, to find the best course of treatment for every patient.

Our physical therapists focus on helping patients to function and move – or in more powerful terms, to give someone their active life back. This includes being able to walk, climb stairs, contribute to society and live safely in your own home. By examining a patient, making a diagnosis, and either preventing or treating conditions that limit the ability to move, our physical therapists help patients achieve a healthier, more active lifestyle. In developing a treatment or fitness plan tailored just for you, a VNA physical therapist can also help you reduce pain and prevent disability or loss of mobility.

In an effort to best serve Maine’s aging population, several of our physical therapists have achieved Geriatric Certified Specialist certification, a designation bestowed by the American Physical Therapy Association. It is a certification process for physical therapists committed to providing the best care to patients aged 65 and older, who are chronically ill or, who are healthy but require treatment for an incident. Geriatric Certified Specialists focus on the specific needs of the geriatric patient population, rather than applying general treatment programs typically best suited for younger adults. Currently on VNA’s staff is Dr. Bill Anderson, the only home health therapist who is also a Geriatric Certified Specialist, in all of southern Maine. We expect more of our therapists to join Dr. Anderson in this certification following a lengthy and rigorous educational training. We’ll look to our Geriatric Certified Specialists for facilitating innovation in establishing specific care programs and pathways relating to geriatrics, including orthopedic/joint replacement, osteoporosis, balance and falls programming, congestive heart failure, Parkinson’s Disease, and other diseases that impair function. VNA anticipates that Geriatric Certified Specialists will note greater improvement with their patients. Under their care, patients will be approached with a deeper level of understanding and insight into their personal needs. These skills will become even more essential to meet the complex issues that will arise as our community ages.

Our occupational therapists focus on assisting you with successfully completing everyday activities. These include getting in and out of bed, on and off of the toilet, personal hygiene and making a meal. VNA’s therapists can help you regain skills lost after sustaining an injury and provide support as you experience the cognitive and physical changes that occur with age. After visiting you in your home and conducting an evaluation, we will work with you, your family and caregivers, to determine your personal goals. Next, we will customize a treatment plan for you that will improve your ability to complete daily activities and reach your goals, which may include using adaptive equipment or modifying your home environment. Over time, we’ll also discuss your plan and progress with you and your caregivers to determine if changes are needed. At VNA, we want to be the people who make it possible for you to live safely in your own home. If that means installing a commode next to your bed so that you don’t have to walk to the bathroom at night, or creating a long handled dressing stick for putting on socks, that’s what we’ll do. Our goal is for you to safely complete everyday tasks without fear of pain or harm.

Call (800) 757-3326 today to speak with one of our occupational therapists about your questions or concerns.

Speech Therapy

Our speech therapists, formally known as speech-language pathologists, focus on treating speech, language and swallowing disorders. Elders may experience these difficulties for many reasons. These communication disorders could result from accidents or illnesses and diseases, such as a stroke, brain injury, oral or laryngeal cancer, Huntington’s Disease, Dementia or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). We offer skilled clinical services through evaluation and treatment of a variety of communication problems. By visiting you in your home and completing a comprehensive evaluation, we work with you, your family members and caregivers to provide strategies to maintain functional communication. Our evaluation entails assessing your speech, language, swallowing and possible cognitive impairment. Then, we create an exercise, education and training plan on the best strategies to improve these disorders. At VNA, we feel that it is an honor to go into your home and be a part of the team working with you to increase your quality of life. We are proud to provide you the same quality care that you would receive in an outpatient clinic, in your very own home. By being at home, you have the opportunity to become more functional as you can work toward your goals in the environment you will be performing tasks. We see great motivation and then success in our patients simply because they want to be at home.